How to Say I Love You in the Language of Flowers

This Valentine's Day, don't buy just any ordinary flower bouquet from the local supermarket for your true love. Take the time to say "I Love You" using the language of flowers. There isn't a true woman on earth who doesn't love flowers. Show the woman in your life how much you really care by thoughtfully choosing flowers that symbolize your unending devotion.

Known as floriography, the language of flowers was extremely popular during the reign of Queen Victoria. The Victorian Age was a time of etiquette and social customs. Feelings that could not be expressed in words, could be expressed through gifts of flowers.

But the language of flowers originated long before Queen Victoria made it popular. Shakespeare uses a bit of floriography himself in his famous play "Hamlet". Ophelia, insane after the death of her father, gives out meaningful flowers to her brother and the King and Queen in Act IV, Scene V:

"There's rosemary, that's for remembrance; pray, love, remember: and there is pansies, that's for thoughts...There's fennel for you, and columbines: there's rue for you; and here's some for me: we may call it herb-grace o' Sundays: O, you must wear your rue with a difference. There's a daisy: I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died..."

Flowers have many meanings ranging from friendship to love to sorrow. You can say just about anything with a flower. But you have to be sure you are conveying the right message with the right flower. There are flowers used for funerals and then there are flowers used for weddings. Much depends upon the color of the flower. "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" but a black rose used where a red rose is appropriate wouldn't be sweet at all.

Read Poetry by Rose West

Poetry by Rose WestThe reason I've put this collection together is partly because of myself. I thought it would make things easy if I had all my poetry cataloged in one place. If I get organized, maybe none of my poems will get...

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AUTHOR

Rose West

8 years agofrom Michigan

Thanks, gulnazahmad! Lilacs are some of my favorites...

gulnazahmad

8 years ago

love the flowers and your hub great especially the white lilacs:)

AUTHOR

Rose West

8 years agofrom Michigan

AEvans, I'm glad you enjoyed this! I really enjoyed putting it together; the language of flowers is just fascinating, and I love how you can convey different things with different flowers.

Julianna

8 years agofrom SomeWhere Out There

I am so glad that you placed the meaning next to each flower I do have to say I love all of them but now I know what my flowers mean that are growing in our own backyard. Thank you so much for writing on this subject. :)

AUTHOR

Rose West

8 years agofrom Michigan

Hi Rebecca, I've heard lots of people send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day. At least you can make sure they're the ones you want :)

Rebecca E.

8 years agofrom Canada

Rose West-- now I know what flowers I want thanks ( i'll have to get them myself..... oh well.)

AUTHOR

Rose West

8 years agofrom Michigan

2uesday, thank you for your comment! I didn't know anything about the myrtle tradition. It's all very fascinating! Thank you so much for sharing all that! Myrtle is another flower that conveys love.

2uesday

8 years ago

Lovely hub, Rose, the flower photos are very colourful.

The English royal family have a tradition of having a sprig of myrtle in their wedding bouquet. The piece in the (Queen's) then Princess Elisazeth's wedding bouquet came from a bush at Osborne House which was Queen Victoria's house on the Isle of Wight. The myrtle bush is said to have been grown from a piece of myrtle in the wedding bouquet of Queen Victoria's eldest daughter. I think I have read somewhere that Queen Victoria also had myrtle in her wedding posy when she married Prince Albert. Thanks Rose.

AUTHOR

Rose West

8 years agofrom Michigan

D.A.L., Thanks for stopping by! I'm happy you enjoyed it!

E. Nicolson, the language of flowers is truly fascinating. This is only a short list of "love" flowers. There are so many more meanings.

i*n*v*i*c*t*u*s, you can really say almost anything with flowers.

poetlorraine, thanks for reading. The orange rose is very beautiful!

Jane Grey, the black rose usually represents death, hatred, goodbye. But I should add that some do say that the black rose means a very deep, pure love, because of its rarity.

Ann Leavitt

8 years agofrom Oregon

I loved the Hamlet quote as well! So, out of curiosity, what would a black rose communicate?

poetlorraine

8 years ago

the orange rose please, anyone...lovely hub

I*n*v*i*c*t*u*s

8 years ago

lovely hub! It's great to see all the underlying messages in flowers. :)

E. Nicolson

8 years ago

Really interesting -- I had always wondered what different flowers meant, but never got around to finding out. Thank you!

Dave

8 years agofrom Lancashire north west England

This is a fantastic hub with beautiful pictures. Thank you for sharing it with us.

AUTHOR

Rose West

8 years agofrom Michigan

Thanks for reading, Cris A! It really is the thought that counts. You can say so many things with flowers! I'm glad you like the pictures...flowers are so photogenic :)

Cris A

8 years agofrom Manila, Philippines

What a sweet hub! Truly, more than the commercial value of the gift it's the thought that counts! Love the pictures btw :D

AUTHOR

Rose West

8 years agofrom Michigan

Thanks Dohn, I'm really excited to do my first hubmob hub! I hope she does approve :)

dohn121

8 years agofrom Hudson Valley, New York

I really liked this hub, Rose West. I also liked you quote from Hamlet as well (I totally forgot about that!). Congratulations on you first HubMob Hub! I'm sure Princessa will approve!

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